England down Scotland 3-0 at Wembley

A trio of thundering headers gave England a victory over their oldest foes as Scotland put up a fight before being swept aside 3-0 in Friday's World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

Daniel Sturridge's bullet header in the first half and equally impressive efforts after the break from Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill ensured England consolidated their lead at the top of Group F.

But it was not the one-sided romp the scoreline suggests and England only pulled clear in the second half.

With his side having moved onto 10 points from four matches in World Cup qualifying, interim England manager Gareth Southgate now looks almost certain to be appointed the permanent replacement to Sam Allardyce.

"Tonight is down to the players - they have shown what they are capable of," he said.

For his Scottish counterpart Gordon Strachan, though, the future looks increasingly bleak, with his side sitting second last in the group standings with four points.

However, he was adamant that he would not be rushed into decisions about his role.

"If you think I'm thinking about myself now, or worrying about myself, you don't know me," he said.

England conspired to hand them a route back into the match two minutes later and would have been pegged back had Scotland defender Grant Hanley not headed hopelessly over the bar when completely unmarked.

England put the encounter to bed after halftime, as Danny Rose's cross from the left found Lallana on the penalty spot to head powerfully past Craig Gordon.

The home side's third arrived after 60 minutes as Wayne Rooney's corner found Cahill, who flashed his near-post header past Gordon and into the far corner.